Do sharks get cancer?

One of the reasons millions of sharks get killed each year is the popular belief  that sharks don't get tumors, or cancer. That, along with the demand for shark fins, are the major reasons sharks get slaughtered. The belief that sharks don't get cancer has led to a big demand for their cartilage, which is supposed to prevent, or cure cancer. Now I'm not a scientist, but it seems to me, that even if sharks were immune to cancer, eating their cartilage would not make me immune to it as well, just like eating a fish doesn't give me the ability to breathe underwater.

But are sharks really immune to tumors or cancer? Well, since I'm not a scientist, I'm not sure about the cancer part, but I can definitively say that sharks do get tumors. Take "Meli" for example. He's a great white shark who regularly visits Guadalupe Island. Last year we first spotted him with a big growth on his left side and it is still there a year later. These pictures were taken just a couple of weeks ago and show his big tumor.

So, if you are taking shark cartilage supplements to prevent cancer, you might want to save your money and in the process, you just might save a shark.

Cheers,
Martin Graf
CEO Shark Diver

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at staff@sharkdiver.com.

Island Of The White Sharks

Do you want to know what it is like to come to Guadalupe Island and meet the Great White Sharks? Read the following trip report and look at the pictures from John Gunn and Katrien De Maertelaere who joined us at Guadalupe Island back in August.  

Island Of The White Sharks

As we boarded Horizon, the 80 foot long dive boat that would be our home for the next week, we had no idea of the adventures that lay ahead. Fulfilling a life long dream to dive with Great White Sharks, I was about to embark on a trip out to Guadalupe Island in Mexico. A rocky desolate island 150 miles west of Baja California, which is now recognized as the best place to dive with these wonderful creatures in crystal clear waters. Having recently spent time out at the Farallon Islands (The west coast’s other hub of Great White activity) I couldn’t wait to experience the magic of Guadalupe.

Shark Diver (www.sharkdiver.com) were our hosts and the crew of the Horizon greeted us warmly as we strolled past the monstrous steel shark cages out on deck and settled into our cosy sleeping quarters. The trip out to Guadalupe isn’t for the light hearted, a 36 hour trek in decent swells (and apparently we had it calm!) but the Horizon was a wonderful vessel and once we’d past through immigration in Ensenada, Mexico we were out in the open ocean, heading due west over some of the richest and biologically diverse stretches of water in the world. Within a couple of hours of leaving the Mexican mainland we were accompanied by a large group of Pilot Whales, who stayed with us for over an hour, breaching out of the water just a few feet from the boat. It was a wonderful start to what we were all hoping would be the adventure of a lifetime. 
 

After a bumpy couple of nights sleep, we awoke on the second morning to the sounds of clucking steel and rushed up on deck. The cages were slowly being lowered into the water, overshadowed by the towering, volcanic rock face of Guadalupe Island. It was quite a sight and it felt only right that one of the world’s largest congregations of Great White Sharks had chosen this alien rocky outpost as their hunting ground. After a quick but delicious cooked breakfast (the food on the entire trip was divine!) and an introduction to the cage rotations (we’d be tag teaming one hour in and one hour out of the cage for the next 2 days!) it was time to gear up and get diving!

I was part of the first rotation and with the bate lines floating next to the cages and chum being poured over the side of the boat, we anxiously waited for our first glimpse of the world’s oldest apex predator! The hour ticked by without an appearance and the next team of divers jumped in to try their luck. Within minutes we were startled by the soon to be familiar shout, ‘WHITE SHARK!’ as a huge dark shadow gracefully glided past the boat. I could only imagine the sight from below the surface.

There had been no need to panic! Our second dive of the day turned out to be one of the best dives of the entire trip. We were treated to 3 White Sharks, circling the cages for the full hour. The opportunity to see these animals up close in clear water was truly special. They’re both graceful and terrifying at the same time. A monster from your nightmares, that you can’t take your eyes off. The 14 foot sharks glided inches from the cage, ominously disappearing into the blue, before somehow re-appearing moments later from the completely opposite direction. While at first glance their eyes are black and sinister, a closer look reveals a soft light blue interior that focused in on the divers as the shark glides past. These guys were definitely checking us out!

As rotations merged into each other, the action never stopped and as we experienced more sharks, we were privileged to witness an array of different personalities that each gave a unique interaction. Shark Diver keep a log of all the White Sharks they encounter and name them, as a way of keeping track. Over time, we learned who was who; ‘Legend’ was a mid- sized feisty shark that would charge and breach for the bait, giving the topside divers and crew quite a show. ‘Johnny’ was a more relaxed but larger and proud shark and every now and then we’d be lucky enough to look down into the depths and see the infamous ‘Bruce’, a monstrous male White Shark circling below. 

From the surface, the water was so clear it was like watching the sharks swimming in a pool and from below, the 100+ foot visibility offered photo opportunities I’m yet to encounter anywhere in the world. On our last night we were treated to a fantastic presentation from a couple of local researchers (the only inhabitants on the island, with the exception of a small fishing community) from Pelagios Kakunja Marine Conservation, educating us on the vital science and research currently being done to understand more about the Guadalupe ecosystem and the best ways to protect it in the future. As well as the informative talk, the two researchers showed us a ‘deep sea monster’ that they’d found floating on the surface, a bizarre bottom dwelling creature that we figured out probably belonged to the ‘Frog Fish’ family. 

Finally, we were treated to up close GoPro footage of a recent Great White predication on an Elephant Seal at the island (only the third time such an attack had been caught on camera), before we all slunked down to our cabins beneath the waves and looked forward to the final morning of diving before our departure back to the mainland.


The final morning didn’t disappoint, as we were continuously circled by a large male shark called ‘Biteface’. At nearly 16 feet in length, he dwarfed the cage as he glided inches from the steel cage and our busy cameras! After lunch the cages were hoisted back onto the Horizon and we set pace at a steady 10 knots, back to San Diego. Within a few hours, just as the sun was setting, we were accompanied by a stunning group of breaching Dolphins, giving the entire group a great opportunity to reflect on this wonderfully rich and wild stretch of ocean and the trip of a lifetime.

Will I be returning to Guadalupe? Most certainly, but probably not before my passion for Sharks and underwater photography takes me to the Tiger Sharks of the Bahamas and the resident Bulls Sharks of Fiji. Take a bow Shark Diver, you well and truly delivered!

Thank you John and Katrien for coming out with us and writing this great report! It was a pleasure having you on board and we enjoyed introducing you to our "friends" at Guadalupe Island. We are looking forward to taking you to the Bahamas and Fiji for your next shark diving adventure!

Cheers,
Martin Graf
CEO Shark Diver

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at staff@sharkdiver.com.

New sharks at Guadalupe Island

It's been a fantastic great white shark season at Guadalupe Island so far. As reported earlier, a lot of our regular visitors have come back again, with "Bite Face" making his 15th straight appearance.  Along with our old "friends", we have also seen a bunch of new sharks. Three of them have officially been added to the MCSI photo ID database during our last science expedition.

Introducing "Luca" a sub adult male, # 171 in our database.

 

Joining him at #172 is "Freya", a small female.

"Hunter", a curious and active male is going to be #173

Along with those 3 above, we have seen at least another 7 sharks that are not in the database yet. I'll let you know, when they get officially added.

If you want to meet our sharks up close and personal, call us at 619.987.4275 or email staff@sharkdiver.com. The rest of this season is sold out and our 2016 season is already more than 50% booked. Maybe you will be the next person to find a new shark at Guadalupe Island.

Let's go shark diving!

Cheers,
Martin Graf
CEO Shark Diver

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at staff@sharkdiver.com.

Talking about Sharks, Feeds the Frenzy

A Growing Attraction

Some might say diving with sharks is the last thing they would ever want to do...until they do it! For many, it has become an addiction and more and more repeat divers are getting their yearly thrill with Shark Diver, based out of San Diego. For 14 years, Shark Diver has been introducing the public (those who are dive certified and not certified) to the underwater world of great white sharks. They don't plan to stop. Why? Because people keep coming to get their 'fix.' The shark phenomenon has continued to rise for the last few years, due to local and national television news and social media coverage, cable television programming, and of course, silly movies. The 'News' has put us in touch with shark sightings off the coasts of Australia, South Africa, the Eastern and Western United States, and Guadalupe Island in Mexico; all right at our fingertips. The more we talk about sharks, the more popular they become.

Photo: Cindy Michaels

Every year, starting the first week of August, Shark Diver takes more than 200 divers to Guadalupe Island to see these misunderstood creatures, up close. During a 5-day adventure, divers fulfill their bucket list items, unique wedding anniversary or honeymoon celebrations, birthday milestones, or childhood dreams. In 2014, Shark Diver's sold out season saw a record number of divers wanting to see great whites, but it was also one of the biggest years for shark encounters at the cages. Things were only going to grow after that. Already, since the company's first dive this year on August 9th, there have been more than 120 great white shark sightings and it is expected that the same amount, if not more, will be seen by the time the 2015 season ends in November.

Get to Know Your Sharks

Shark Diver has worked with the Discovery Channel for some of its Shark Week episodes as well as countless other operations that partner for filming. But the company's greatest passion is to bring those who have never seen a shark...to the sharks, themselves. For the past 2 seasons, a researcher from the Marine Conservation Science Institute (MCSI) in San Diego has joined Shark Diver in educating divers about specific markings, migratory habits, and all the fun stuff you don't learn in school or on television. On the hosted adventures, divers have the opportunity to name any new shark that is spotted, while in the cages. That named shark is then registered in MCSI's photo database, which features more than 150 already identified sharks, such as Bite Face, Shredder, and Bruce. By naming and identifying the new great white, the divers are helping out with MCSI's research; dedicated to conserving and protecting marine resources. Shouldn't naming a shark be on your bucket list?

Photo: Cindy Michaels

What to Expect without Expecting

Like other highly feared fish, great whites are unpredictable. There may be curious juveniles that try to bite delicately on the cages, or a large adult that just wants to stroll by slowly to check you out. There is no expecting one behavior or another from these boys and girls. Divers prepare themselves for a scary time, but walk away awe-inspired by what they just witnessed. Every trip reveals something different. 

When you decide that life is too short to only watch sharks on television, venture out on a dive with Shark Diver. You will see a great white shark while on your trip or the crew will take you back to Guadalupe Island at no extra charge. It is the company's guarantee. Whether or not Shark Diver sees you year after year, there is a good chance you will never view great white sharks the same way, again.


~Cindy Michaels 
   Shark Diver


About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at staff@sharkdiver.com.

Great White Sharks, Dolphins and a "Sea Monster"

We just finished another awesome expedition to Guadalupe Island. After 14 years of diving there, it never ceases to amaze me, that we keep encountering new things. We had a pleasant trip down to the Island, with mostly calm waters and were accompanied by a pod of pilot whales that stayed with us for a while.

On our first day of diving, we had "Herman", a good sized adult male white shark, swim by our cages, just as 2 adult bottle nose dolphins and their baby showed up. As soon as he saw them, he took off like a top fuel race car at the 1/4 mile track. Score one for the dolphins! (unfortunately we don't have any pictures of this)

At the end of our second day, the local researchers came by with a "sea monster" they found floating on the surface. I had no idea that these things existed in our waters. Anyone knows what species this is?

Our "Sea Monster"

We encountered a total of 16 different sharks on our trip and some, like "Legend" and "Herman", really put on a show, swimming by the cages and looking our divers straight into the eyes. Another sea turtle checked out our divers and showed us that they are not afraid to swim with great white sharks.

 

The trip home was again flat calm, a fact that was greatly appreciated by our diver. We are leaving again in a few hours for another exciting expedition to Guadalupe Island. What will we be seeing this time?

Let's go shark diving!

Cheers,
Martin Graf
CEO Shark Diver


About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at staff@sharkdiver.com.

"Aggressive" shark closes San Diego Beach

We arrived back in San Diego from our last Great White Shark trip just in time for an "aggressive" hammerhead shark to close a popular La Jolla (San Diego) beach.

According to the San Diego Union Tribune, "A hammerhead shark that circled and followed a group of swimmers and kayakers near La Jolla Shores prompted lifeguards to close a stretch of water to thousands of beachgoers Saturday afternoon."

A hammerhead shark circles a kayaker near La Jolla Shores Saturday. The shark's aggressive behavior prompted the beach to close for the remainder of the day and night. — Jimmy Van Evera

Since these hammerhead sharks are not normally "aggressive" towards humans and usually quite shy, I was surprised to hear that one was actually approaching a group of swimmers.

Upon further reading of the article, I found that there was a good reason for the shark to come close to the kayak and the swimmers.  “We each caught a yellowfin, and we always bleed them out to keep them fresher,” said Jimmy Van Evera, who estimated they’d fished for three hours. “We were paddling back in and we saw this hammerhead pop up near our kayaks.” It was about 10 yards away, but ventured closer and closer"

Ok, that explains a lot. Hammerheads, like most sharks love to eat tuna. By bleeding their catch into the water, the fishermen essentially rang the dinner bell for the shark in question. The tuna blood was covering their kayaks and by paddling to shore, the kayak left a scent trail for the shark to follow.  The shark knows what a tuna looks like and once it sees the kayak, is curious to find out what smells like a tuna, but looks like a kayak. These hammerheads are not really a threat to humans, unless they happen to be covered in fish blood.
 
The headline for this story should have read "Irresponsible fishermen lure shark close to swimmers", instead of calling the shark aggressive. Read the entire article here.

If a human smells food and goes to check it out, is he/she showing aggressive behavior? Since there was tuna blood in the water and sharks are curious to investigate what smells like a tune, but looks totally different, it was probably a good idea for the lifeguards to get the people out of the water.

Personally, if I would hear there is a hammerhead in the water, I'd grab a mask and snorkel, go in and check it out. They are beautiful creatures and, as long as you're not smelling like fish blood, not a threat to humans.

Cheers,
Martin Graf
CEO Shark Diver

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at staff@sharkdiver.com.

30 White Sharks and a pod of Orcas

What an incredible expedition! We not only saw a record 30 different individual white sharks on this expedition, on our way back we ran into a pod of Orcas that came right up to our vessel. The pod included a whale with an incredibly tall dorsal fin, as well as some mothers with their babies. What a treat!

In addition to the sharks we encountered earlier this season, we had 3 new females, 3 new males, along with Keli, Andy, Johnny and Herman, all sharks we know from previous seasons.

Photo by Mark Denstedt, not Martin Graf

If you aren't among the lucky ones that already booked an expedition this season, we only have a couple of spaces left on our August 30 and September 9 expeditions. Call Cindy at our office 619.887.4275 or email staff@sharkdiver.com to reserve your space.

Let's go shark diving!

Cheers,
Martin Graf
CEO Shark Diver

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at staff@sharkdiver.com.

Great White Sharks, Mauricio Hoyos and Ocean Ramsey at Guadalupe Island

Another successful trip to Guadalupe Island is wrapping up. Even though we encountered a bit of a south swell which affected the visibility, the sharks came out to play. On our first day, we had 14 different sharks swim by the cages. Along with the sharks, a green sea turtle and a small pod of dolphins, including a couple of tiny babies, also stopped by for a visit.

After our first dinner at Guadalupe Island, our divers were treated to a presentation by Dr. Mauricio Hoyos, the resident shark researcher. Mauricio's sense of humor and great material made his presentation a hit with our divers.

Mauricio also brought Ocean Ramsey along for his visit. Regular readers of this blog will know, that I'm often critical of what Ocean does and her visit gave us a chance to have a long talk and understand each others points of view. I was quite impressed with her passion for the sharks and the projects she supports and she even picked up a deck brush and helped scrub the boat.

On the way back to San Diego, the ocean was flat calm, a fact that was greatly appreciated by our divers. Overall it was a great trip, despite the less than stellar visibility.

In a few hours we are boarding our next expedition. I can't wait to see what will wait for us at Guadalupe. After 14 years of diving there, I still feel like a kid in a candy store, each time we depart to see "my" white sharks.

Come join us! Call Cindy at 619.887.4275 or email staff@sharkdiver.com and she'll give you all the details you need to book your trip of a lifetime.

Let's go shark diving!

Cheers,
Martin Graf
CEO Shark Diver


About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at staff@sharkdiver.com.

Bigger than Deep Blue. The biggest shark at Guadalupe Island!

We just returned from our first expedition to Guadalupe Island this year. I'm happy to report that the big boys are back. Bruce, Jacques, Bite Face and Thor all made it back safely to the island. As big as those sharks are, they were dwarfed by the biggest shark to ever swim by a cage at Guadalupe. On our second day of diving, we encountered the largest fish on earth, a whale shark, swimming alongside a great white shark.

I have seen whale sharks before, but this is the first time I saw one swimming with a great white shark. You never know, what you are going to see on the ocean. Aside from great whites and the whale shark, we also got a visit from 6 bottle nose dolphins and a couple of green sea turtles.

It's not only the big boys that are back. We also saw the slightly smaller Hooper, Mau, Horizon, Ace, Micks, Mike, Drogin, Legend, Paul Walker, Seamus, Don Julian, Big and Ian along with the females Sydney and Amiria.

Like last year, we also encountered some new sharks. We definitely have another small female and male shark.

 

We only have a few spaces available for this season. Call us at 619.887.4275 or email staff@sharkdiver.com to reserve your space.

Let's go shark diving!

Cheers,
Martin Graf
CEO Shark Diver

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at staff@sharkdiver.com.

Courageous sea lion

From last season at Guadalupe Island, where we encountered a courageous little sea lion.

 

Cheers,
Martin Graf
CEO Shark Diver

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at staff@sharkdiver.com.

Who is at Guadalupe Island?

Our great white shark season is officially getting underway this coming Sunday. I can't wait to see who is back at Guadalupe Island. Is "Shredder" going to be there after being absent for a couple of years?

"Shredder"

I'm really worried that something happened to him, but since "Quetzalcoatl" (no I did not name him)
once stayed away from Guadalupe Island for 8 years, I still have hope!

"Quetzalcoatl"

What about our regulars like "Bruce", "Jacques", "Bite-Face", "Johnny" etc.? Who is making an appearance this season?

"Jacques" one of our regulars.

Who is going to get hurt this season?  It never ceases to amaze me, how rough they play with each other.

"Bruce" a couple of years ago

But don't worry, they have an amazing ability to heal. Just look at the picture of "Bruce" below!

"Bruce" with barely a scar from his bite.

We never know who is going to be back. Every year we encounter new sharks and see old "friends". Right now, we have more than 170 individual great white sharks in our database, with a handful having been there every season, since 2001.

If you are interested in learning more about the photo id database of our great white sharks, check out MCSI's website here. We also have only 2 spaces open on our Sept. 14-19 science expedition with Nicole Nasby-Lucas, the scientist responsible for the database.

To join us on the science expedition, call us at 619.887.4275 or email staff@sharkdiver.com.

We also have limited openings on our Aug 30, Sept. 4 and Sept. 9 expedition.

Let's go shark diving!

Cheers,
Martin Graf
CEO Shark Diver

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at staff@sharkdiver.com.

If you love sharks, you're going to love this movie!

I had the chance to watch David Diley's movie "Of Shark & Man" and absolutely loved it.

Here is how the filmmaker describes the movie.

David Diley is a thirty-two year old man, trapped in a dead end job in England's industrial north and his life is going nowhere. He does however, have a lifelong dream... 

Should David follow the advice of everyone around him and forget about it, or should he risk everything and against all the odds, take his one chance to fulfill his greatest ambition, an ambition which finds him in the middle of a feeding frenzy with sixty of the world's most dangerous sharks?

“Of Shark and Man” is a ground breaking film about one man's journey to get closer than anyone thought possible, to the world's biggest Bull Sharks and tell the incredible untold story of Shark Reef in Fiji, one of the greatest marine conservation successes of all time.

“Of Shark and Man” is an epic, incredibly ambitious and cinematic love letter to the world's most feared predator, in which, for once, the shark is the hero.

To me it is much more than just a movie about sharks and man, it is about following your dreams, overcoming obstacles and never giving up.

Here is the trailer. Check it out!


Of Shark and Man - Official Trailer (2015) from Scarlet View Media on Vimeo.

For more info on the movie, check out these links.

www.ofsharkandman.com

https://www.facebook.com/OfSharkAndMan

www.twitter.com/OfSharkAndMan

If you get inspired by the movie and want to go diving with these magnificent animals yourself, call us at 855.987.4275 or email staff@sharkdiver.com and we'll get you set up.

Cheers,
Martin Graf
CEO Shark Diver

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at staff@sharkdiver.com.

Are the sharks going to be safe at Guadalupe Island?

Sharknado 3 airs tonight on the SCIFY channel. At the rate those Sharknado's remove the sharks from the water, this might well be the last chance to see them live at Guadalupe Island.

When Brian Kilmeade, from FOX and friends was surprised that the water at a South African surf contest wasn't clear of sharks, he must have had thought that after Sharknado 2, all the sharks were gone already. Luckily, that was not the case. We saw them in record numbers at Guadalupe Island last season.

Just to make sure you visit the great white sharks at Guadalupe Island, before they all get sucked out of the water. Call us at 619.887.4275 or email staff@sharkdiver.com for more information, or to reserve your spot.

Stay safe tonight and let's go shark diving!

Cheers,
Martin Graf
CEO Shark Diver

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at staff@sharkdiver.com.

Biggest White Shark ever filmed?

The Discovery Channel promised us a better quality of programming for "Shark Week" this season, so I was curious to see what they would offer. One of their episodes was titled "Island of the Mega Shark". So who, or what, is that mega shark?

When that "Mega Shark" swims under the cage Dickie Chivell exclaims that "this is the biggest shark I've ever seen in my life" and "you have to make up a new word for how big this shark is."

Well Dickie, we have a word for that "Mega Shark". We call her "Lucy". She is easily identified by her mangled tail and is certainly a big shark, but more in the 17 ft range and definitely not over 20 ft. If this is the biggest shark you have ever seen in your life, you should really spend some more time at Guadalupe Island and see the really big sharks.

"Lucy" is easily identified by her tail.

Imagine my surprise (sharkasm intended) when, a little later in the clip, I found out that this "Mega Shark" is actually more than one shark. The second shark is "Tail Scratch", again a large shark, but hardly 20 ft. When she was measured in 2009, she was 15 ft, which would make her between 16 and 17 ft. now. She is not even close to being the biggest shark that we regularly see at Guadalupe Island. The Marine Conservation Science Institute has a photo ID database that catalogs every shark that we have seen at Guadalupe Island in the past 15 years.

When you look at the pelvic fin area, you can clearly identify her. As you can see from the pictures below, it is the same shark.

Screen shot from video

Tail Scratch (from Shark ID book)

Watch the video below from youtube. It shows the typical Jeff Kurr, and ABC4 stuff. If you want us to actually believe that there is a mega shark at Guadalupe Island, at least improve your editing a little so it is not painfully obvious that you are showing more than one shark.

ABC4, Jeff Kurr and Dickie Chivell, your failure to consult with a real expert, like maybe Nicole Nasby  Lucas, who could tell you all about the known sharks at Guadalupe and your inability to identify an individual shark, even when one has a completely mangled tail, clearly shows what kind of "experts" you are when it comes to great white sharks. 

For anyone interested in identifying the great white sharks at Guadalupe Island, you can buy the photo ID book here. It is a great resource for anyone watching "Shark Week" or who's going to Guadalupe Island. Shark Diver is proud to support Nicole's research and has her hosting our special science expeditions to Guadalupe Island each year. 

Let's go shark diving and experience these magnificent animals up close and personal. See for yourself awesome these sharks are in real life.

Cheers,
Martin Graf
CEO Shark Diver

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at staff@sharkdiver.com.

Awesome great white sharks at Guadalupe Island

Alan Davey posted some awesome pictures from his trip to Guadalupe Island with us last year. The pictures were taken in August, the best time to see multiple sharks.

Alan Davey photography

For his complete trip report, more pictures and some great advice for photographers, check out his blog http://allandaveyblog.com/2014/10/28/a-truly-great-white-shark-adventure/

It is #sharkweek so all this week I will be sharing my shots of Great White Sharks I photographed at Guadalupe Mexico. It was an adventure of a lifetime to experience these beautiful misunderstood animals in the wild. #whiteshark #sharks #picoftheday #adventure #jaws #wild #misunderstood #nevereatsharkfinsoup

A photo posted by allanjdavey (@allanjdavey) on Jul 5, 2015 at 1:29pm PDT

#sharkweek is almost over for another year but shark conservation never stops. #nevereatsharkfinsoup These incredible animal deserve our respect and admiration. I photographed these sharks with www.sharkdiver.com An company that is dedicated to the preservation of these animals in the wild. Each diver on the trip helps to identify new sharks and catalogue old friends. Money goes towards maintaining the area as a biosphere reserve. Our presence helps deter poachers from senseless slaughter. #amazingplanet #dontneedaremoteforthis #wild #aquatica #whiteshark #sharks

A photo posted by allanjdavey (@allanjdavey) on Jul 10, 2015 at 6:43am PDT

Check out the sea lion go face to face with a great white shark!

A photo posted by allanjdavey (@allanjdavey) on Jul 6, 2015 at 3:57am PDT

Thank you for sharing your awesome pictures Alan. Not only are they beautiful, but they proof that you can get great pictures from the safety of a cage. Check out the pictures he posted here

If you want to experience these magnificent creatures up close and personal, call us at 619.887.4275 or email us at crew@sharkdiver.com. We do have a few spaces available for this season and are taking reservations for 2017.

Let's go shark diving!

Cheers,
Martin Graf
CEO Shark Diver

 About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at staff@sharkdiver.com.

Valerie Taylor, the most glamorous shark advocate in the world

With the 40th anniversary of the release of "Jaws", "The Telegraph" has a very nice article on Valerie Taylor. She, together with her late husband Ron, was an underwater videographer for Steven Spielberg's "Jaws".  The article's headline calls her "The most glamorous shark hunter in the world". Though I think "The most glamorous shark advocate in the world" is a much more fitting title, the article itself does a great job of telling Valerie's life story. From her beginning as a champion spearfisher to one of the world's leading advocates for conservation.

The article shows to how Valerie and Ron were being chastised for demonizing sharks "Within the marine conservation world, Ron and Valerie were vilified for their role in a movie that demonised sharks. “It caused the most incredible slaughter of innocent sharks that would never have hurt anybody, and they tried to blame Ron and me,” says Valerie. “To us, Jaws was a fictitious story about a fictitious shark. You don’t go to New York and expect to see King Kong hanging from the Empire State Building. But Jaws was so well done that people took it to heart.”

It talks about why they decided to become conservationists "It was at the Australian Spearfishing Championship in Queensland in 1969 that the pair had an epiphany. “We looked at all these beautiful tropical fish lying on the beach waiting to be weighed in, and I thought, 'What have we done?’ Ron said to me, 'This is terrible. We’re making a living filming beautiful marine animals and then for sport we’re killing them.’” They won the competition but never fished again, instead using their celebrity status to raise awareness. “I was young and beautiful and had long blonde hair, and I’d jump into the sea with any animal and do anything, so I was very successful in the field of conservation,” Valerie says, wryly."

It shows that eventually they became known as conservationist. "By the 1980s, Ron and Valerie - along with fellow conservationists Benchley and his wife Wendy - had regained the high regard of the international conservation community. They successfully lobbied the Australian government to protect the Coral Sea Islands off Queensland, and their documentary films about the wreck of the Yongala, an iconic diving site, and the Great Barrier Reef, proved instrumental in promoting the conservation of reefs. Valerie, who still lives in Sydney, has continued her conservation efforts alone since Ron’s death, as well as continuing to dive with sharks". 
  
Valerie is still a very active diver, despite the fact that she'll be 80 this November. My favorite part is how the article starts. "When I tentatively ask 79-year-old Valerie Taylor if she still scuba-dives, she erupts with incredulous horror. “Oh my God, yes! What else would I do?"

Just a few weeks ago Valerie was diving with bull sharks in Fiji. The picture below shows her diving with the late Rusi at the "Shark Reef Marine Reserve",  a dive that she describes as "The best shark dive in the world!" 

picture by Sam Cahir "predapix"

You can read Valerie's life story here it gives you a great view of who Valerie Taylor is.

If you want to dive with sharks yourself, give us a call at 619.887.4275 or email us at staff@sharkdiver.com and we'll be happy to give you all the info you need to make your dream a reality.

Let's go shark diving!

Martin Graf
CEO Shark Diver
www.sharkdiver.com

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at staff@sharkdiver.com.